Ideal Online Documentation

14374 T/T PROCEDURES
TT1-02 Setting up the System

 

SUMMARY

 

Setting up the trust accounting system typically consists of the following processes:

  1. Addition of master file information including your lists of banks, bank accounts, account and transaction types. This is done using the various trust accounting maintenance programs.  These programs are also used for ongoing file maintenance.
  2. Inputting of current account balances. Balances from your previous trust accounting system should be transferred to IdeaLaw's trust accounting module.

 

FILE MAINTENANCE

 

The trust accounting maintenance programs must be run in the following sequence:

  1. Bank code maintenance (see 14403 BANK CODE MAINTENANCE).
  2. Account type maintenance (see 14401 ACCOUNT TYPE MAINTENANCE).
  3. Transaction type maintenance (see 14404 TRANSACTION TYPE MAINTENANCE).
  4. Bank account maintenance (see 14402 BANK ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE).

Before starting trust accounting file maintenance you should ensure that your chart of accounts has been set up in your G/L system. In addition, ensure that your currency codes have been set up in the A/P system.

 

To make setting up your master files as easy and efficient as possible, clearly mark any new codes on the lists you are working from. Make sure any obsolete records have been deleted or marked off from the list. Use the listing programs for each of the maintenance programs to verify that data is entered correctly.

 

Once all these master files have been set up you can continue with transferring current balances to the system.

 

 

TRANSFERRING BALANCES

 

Once the trust accounting master files have been set up current balances should be entered. Balances that need to be transferred to get your trust accounting system up and running are:

  • Trust account balances by client/matter.

Ensure that the G/L date used for these transfers is the correct G/L cut off date as set up in the company control file. If it is not, then the system will update all transactions to the various G/L accounts rather than to the "Initialization Clearing Account".

 

Trust account balances are posted through the trust transaction entry program by client/matter. This is the same program that you will use later to post all trust accounting transactions on an ongoing basis.